Today's blog posting comes later than usual because I've been having some problems accessing Blogger. Anyone else having similar troubles?

Speaking of "blog", it's the #1 word of 2004! At least according to some survey that I saw on the news. Viva Le Blog Revolucion!

All good things must come to an end and so they did for Ken Jennings. The longtime Jeopardy! champion was finally defeated tonight after 70something wins and over $2 and a half million in prize money. Too bad, Kenny!

The big sports rumor going around NY is that the Mets are hotly pursuing Pedro Martinez. They've reportedly offered him a longer contract than the Red Sox did. My thinking is that Pedro is just using them to drive up his price but that he'll ultimately resign with Boston.

Two years ago I read an amazing novel called "Dreamland." Written by Kevin Baker, it's a story of New York City in the 1910s... Coney Island, Lower East Side Tenements, Gangsters, Tammany Hall, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Immigrant Jews, etc. It's an amazing novel and due to it's Coney Island connection, I invited the author to our annual beach opening ceremony in 2003. It was great to meet him and then read his followup novel, "Paradise Alley", about the Civil War Draft Riots. Anyway I was thinking alot about "Dreamland" and how I think it would make an amazing film. So I googled it and learned that Leonardo DiCaprio personally bought the rights in 1999 with the intent of starring in it. Unfortunately, nothing has developed since then. C'mon Leo, after "The Aviator", make it happen!